MPs Issue Urgent Warning Over SEND Reforms' Unanswered Questions
The UK government has been warned that its sweeping reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system leave critical questions unanswered regarding home-to-school transport and council deficits. Ministers unveiled the reforms, intended to make the system more inclusive for children with additional needs and reduce long-term costs for local authorities. However, an inquiry by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has identified glaring gaps in the plans, particularly concerning the significant cost pressures from transporting children to school.
Transport Costs and Council Deficits Remain Unaddressed
PAC member Rachel Gilmour stated that while MPs are pleased the government is "beginning to grasp the nettle that is the SEND emergency," the chronic and severe problem demands a comprehensive response. "Unfortunately, our inquiry has identified a number of glaring ones for home-to-school transport – a problematic system for parents on which government spends multiple billions a year not covered by government’s recent announcements," she added. The committee has urged the government to clarify, as a matter of urgency, how it plans to support councils facing ongoing SEND deficits and the high costs of transporting children in taxis, coaches, and buses.
Under the new arrangements, councils will have 90 per cent of their high-needs deficits accrued up to this year written off, and SEND costs will be managed within the overall Government budget from 2028. However, this leaves councils uncertain about deficits that arise between now and 2028, as highlighted by the PAC. Crucially, the funding arrangements do not cover home-to-school transport costs, which have been escalating rapidly.
Escalating Financial Pressures on Local Authorities
The County Councils Network estimates that councils transported a record high 206,000 children and young people up to age 25 with SEND to school last year at a cost of £2 billion. A National Audit Office report from last year found councils in England spent £415 million more than budgeted on home-to-school transport in 2023/24, with total spending growing 70 per cent from 2015/16 to then. Declining local bus services, especially in rural areas, have reduced travel options and increased reliance on council-provided transport, exacerbating the financial strain.
MPs noted that the Department for Education (DfE) is highly reliant on the SEND reforms to solve transport problems, as the reforms aim to make local schools more inclusive, potentially reducing the need for long-distance transport. However, even if successful, savings are likely to take time to materialise. The PAC report calls for the DfE to set out when it expects savings to start and to better understand how transport access affects attendance and parental navigation of the system, particularly for children over 16.
Calls for Enhanced Monitoring and Support
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has detailed how home-to-school transport will be funded but has not outlined how it will monitor success, according to the report. MPs suggested that a move to local bus franchising, where local authorities decide routes, timetables, and fares, could replace expensive contracts with lower-cost alternatives. Cllr Bill Revans, SEND spokesperson for the County Councils Network, warned that councils could be spending £3.4 billion on SEND schools' transport by 2030 if nothing changes.
"Fortunately, the government’s SEND reforms have real potential to contain these costs, if implemented in full as outlined last month," he said. However, he added that county and rural councils face bigger financial pressures due to transporting pupils over longer distances, with an estimated £11 billion funding black hole. "We urge the government to look again at what support it can give to county authorities who face the largest transport bills," he concluded, emphasizing the need for targeted assistance to address these ongoing challenges.
